Xbox’s restructuring moved the Age of Empires studio World’s Edge under Activision’s control, and a creative director says nearly half the team got laid off.
Adam Isgreen, who spent over 16 years at Microsoft in various roles, revealed the news on the Resetera forums under the verified username Tempus Chaoti. He wrote: “What a morning. FYI World’s Edge was not spared completely – just under half the studio was let go – myself included. Been fun, y’all!”
The Layoffs and the Move
The initial announcement did not say whether World’s Edge would lose staff as part of the transition. Now it has. Isgreen said the studio lost nearly half its people, and he was among them.
The restructuring involved multiple studios. Xbox Live Arcade, Minecraft, Trials HD, State of Decay, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, World of Tanks and “many, many more” all passed through Isgreen’s career at Microsoft. He also worked on Recore, Killer Instinct, Fable, Crackdown and the Age of Empires franchises.
His LinkedIn post listed those projects alongside his time at Microsoft. He described his pride in the RTS genre’s return.
“I didn’t think I’d be working on RTS games again years after their first ‘heyday’, but am I ever proud of what our studio team and partners were able to do with the series and juice the genre’s return,” Isgreen wrote.
What Happened to Other Studios
Yesterday’s cuts also affected other studios:
- Ninja Theory faces the impending closure.
- Halo moved to Activision and Halo Studios all-but closed because of it.
- Playground and Turn10 merged.
- Obsidian moved under Bethesda’s control.
- Rare moved under Activision’s control as well.
| Studio | What Happened |
|---|---|
| World’s Edge | Lost nearly half its staff, including Isgreen |
| Halo | Moved to Activision, Halo Studios all-but closed |
| Playground / Turn10 | Merged |
| Obsidian | Moved under Bethesda |
| Rare | Moved under Activision |
Isgreen’s Career at Microsoft
Isgreen’s resume runs wide across gaming history. He worked on Windows Phone and Xbox Live Arcade early in his career. He touched games like Ori and helped publish Recore and Killer Instinct.
His LinkedIn post made clear he believed the team delivered on the games it made.
“I think the fans would agree (mostly!) that we delivered the goods for all of ’em.”
He ended his forum post on a note of disappointment. “I am of course disappointed that this is the way the time with World’s Edge and Age [of Empires] ends for myself and many of my talented teammates that were also impacted,” he wrote.
“We had some great plans for what’s next – and I hope the team that remains can rise to the occasion down the line.”
The Bigger Picture
The restructuring is a major shakeup for Xbox. The exact shape of the changes is still taking form.
The question hanging over all of this is whether the move will work.
Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the layoffs.
Source material: “Age of Empires studio World's Edge reportedly lost "nearly half" of its staff during yesterday's Xbox cuts and move to Activision,” Eurogamer.
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